Agony Aunt
by archard-winchester
Summary: Series of conversations between Sam and Bobby about Dean. Spoilers for season 6. Chapter 4 up now. Spoilers for the latest episode.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.

**Summary**: Sam and Bobby talk about Dean's trust issues.

**A/N**: Tag to 6x02. 

"You didn't see him, Bobby." Sam agitatedly paced around the floor. "He was acting totally irrational. Making sarcastic comments to Mark, antagonizing Christian, giving dirty looks to Gwen. He even came at Samuel. Who, by the way, he had described as being 'totally cool' after his trip back to the 70's."

Bobby sighed. Did he look like an agony aunt? Why did the damn Winchesters always come to him with their 'emotional issues'?

"Well, so far, you haven't said anything that's out of character for Dean." Bobby replied. "You know your brother can't accept a gift horse without giving it a colonoscopy."

"It's not just that Bobby. Dean doesn't trust them." Sam argued. "Do you think Dean would've hesitated to bring the shifter-baby to Ellen or Jo after they'd first met. No. He thought of them as practically since the moment he met them. And this is our real family."

"Sam, you know as well as I do that family's not all about blood. And no offense, but the few Campbells I met in my time, weren't all that great. That family's been hunting for so long that they practically think of themselves as royalty. It's all about legacy and tradition and honor with them. Hunting shouldn't be about that. It's only about saving people. And Dean gets that."

"So what? You don't trust them either?"

Bobby knew it was the wrong idea to let the Winchester's in his life the moment he saw the Impala for the first time.

"Hey, don't turn on me you idjit. I don't know them well enough to trust them or not trust them. All I got is what you boys tell me. And if Dean's gut tells him they're bad news, I might as well go with it."

"Dean's gut?" Sam couldn't believe it."You are going with Dean's gut on this?"

"Well," Bobby explained, "Dean's instincts usually have a way of being dead-on. He didn't trust Ruby or the angels or that ghoul pretending to be your brother and he was right. Even when everything seemed to prove him wrong, he was right the whole time."

"So you are taking Dean's first instinct over my judgment?" Sam seemed outraged." My judgment that's based on a whole year of hunting with these people?"

"Sam, I don't wanna rub your face in it, but you haven't made the best decisions on who to trust, remember." Bobby explained."Once again, Ruby, ghoul etc. etc."

"What about Gordon? Dean trusted him." Sam was embarrassed at his own desperation to prove Dean wrong.

"Hey, I'm not saying you should always trust whom Dean trusts, just be wary of those he doesn't trust." Really, Bobby thought, he should have been on the debate team.

Sam finally stopped wearing out Bobby's carpet and slumped into a chair, defeated. He'd finally met others like them. Blood relatives no less. He just wanted Dean to get along with them. Wanted to show off his awesome big brother to his new family. Why did Dean have to ruin everything by being a tool?

"It's not like they are some sort of supernatural creatures. Even if his gut says different, couldn't he just give them the benefit of the doubt?" Sam reasoned.

"Sam, we're talking about Dean here. Besides, there may be another reason. He may be feeling a little insecure and jealous around them."

"Jealous of what? You don't think Dean took their trash talk seriously do you?" Sam questioned. "Dean should know by now that he is one of the best hunters out there. I doubt that those guys have bagged half the monsters Dean has."

"Not of that you idjit, you." Bobby explained."Dean doesn't like the fact that they were there with you the whole year you were back, while he was forced to sit back home thinking you were dead."

"Bobby, I thought you were with me on that one." If Bobby thought he'd screwed up too, then he was really screwed. "You said he should be able to catch a break remember?"

"Yeah I'm with you on that. I know that we screwed up the execution big time and now your brother probably hates our guts for it. And yeah, we did a real bad thing making that decision for Dean, but he deserved a break." Bobby still didn't know if they had made the right choice, but it'd felt right at the time. "This ain't what this is about. Dean was like the only person you'd ever trusted to watch your back and now you have got this whole gang of merry men. To dean, it's like wearing a sign saying 'I don't need you. I got friends that I trust more.' And before you go off," Bobby continued, seeing Sam start up, "I know that ain't true. But you know your brother. You know how he felt when your Daddy left him or when you ditched for that demon."

That one stung. He knew all about Dean's self-esteem issues. Sam sighed and put his face in his hands.

"God Bobby, what am I gonna do with him? Seems like no matter what choice I make, I end up hurting him." Sam looked up at Bobby."What should I do? I've already screwed us up so much, I don't think he can take any more of that. Now that he's coming back in the game, I don't wanna make him regret letting me ride shotgun again."

"Sam, you just do what you are supposed to do. Be his brother. Hunt with him. Watch his back. He'll forgive you, eventually."

Sam smiled at that. "Yeah, he does that. Always you know. Even when it seems like he shouldn't be able to look at me, he lets me back in. He doesn't trust me either, you know."

Bobby humphed at that. "You know that's not true Sam. I'm sure you just feel that way given your past. But trust me, Dean trusts you."

"No, it's not that. " Sam said, but was unwilling to explain further.

"Have you, uh," Bobby asked uncomfortably, "given him any reason not to trust you lately?"

"You mean other than keeping my resurrection a secret for a whole year?" Sam laughed mirthlessly, "No, it's just, I'm different now. I'm not sure if it's the demon blood I drank for Lucifer or going to hell, but I don't feel like the same person anymore. I mean, it's not like I have sudden urgings for baby blood or long-pig, or I have sudden fits of rage or start thinking 'how cool it'd be to rule the world.' I just feel -"

"- different." Bobby finished."Yeah I get it Sam. What you've been through is sure to change a person Sam. Dean came back for hell different. Give it time. I'm sure you'll find the pieces of your old self somewhere in there."

"Thanks Bobby. You sure I shouldn't worry about me and Dean?"

"Kid, if your relationship can survive unleashing apocalypse, I'm sure it'll survive a few distant relatives. Just don't force your new family on Dean. Let him make up his own mind about things from now on."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sam promised," Thanks for the talk Bobby, you are like the best agony aunt we've got."

Bobby bristled at that. By the time the Winchesters were finished with him, he'd need a therapist of his own. 

Once again, I really hope the boys make it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.

**Summary**: Sam convinces Bobby to keep a secret

**A/N**: My version of the time Sam went to Bobby after his resurrection.

* * *

This wasn't the first time Bobby had a dead Winchester sitting at his table, drinking beer. Hell, it wasn't the first time that dead Winchester happened to be Sam. The way things were, he wouldn't be surprised if John Winchester and his wife were in his bedroom doing the nasty. Fact of life, dead Winchesters had a way of ending up on his porch. That still didn't explain why there was only one at his table when Winchesters were usually a package deal.

"Did-did Dean have anything to do with it?" Was that why he wasn't here?

"I really doubt it." Sam replied. "You know Dean. If he did, he'd be all over the place trying to prove he had nothing to do with it."

"So, why isn't he? All over the place, I mean. Does he think that something is wrong? Like you not being you?" If Dean thought that, that might be reason enough for Bobby to doubt it.

"I haven't told him yet."

Bobby sat up at that. Sam hadn't told his brother that he was alive yet? Sam and Dean mattered more to each other that anything else in the world. Dean should've been the first person Sam went to. And Bobby said as much.

"He was, okay." Sam explained. "I went to Cicero. Saw him. He was having dinner with Lisa and Ben. And I thought, he was keeping his promise. Building a life there. I couldn't take that away from him. I can't. Not after all he has been through."

"Are you an idiot, boy? You can't keep this from your brother. He loves you and he sure as hell wouldn't want any apple-pie life thinking you are dead. How could you do this to him? I'm calling him right now." Bobby shouted, getting up to get the phone.

"I did it because I love him. And if you do, you are gonna do the same."

Bobby turned to glare at the younger Winchester, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Look, Bobby. You know how he has been these past few years. Even before he went to hell. He was miserable, self-destructive. All he wanted was to have a family and all the crap with demons and angels wouldn't let him. You remember how he was like towards the end. He almost said yes to Michael. Don't you think he deserves a break?"

"That's no reason to keep him grieving and miserable."

"What do you think will happen if I went back now, huh? And what do you think is going on with me being back? Something big must have brought me back. The oldest and strongest demons took thousands of years to bust out Lucifer and I come out of the same cage after being there a few days? Some big shit is gonna go down. And if I go back to Dean now, he is gonna jump right back in and its gonna get messy and he'll end up hurt and broken, again." I'll end up hurting him again.

"What are you trying to sell here Sam?" Bobby asked. "You think Dean could be happy without you? Newsflash boy, hunters don't get happily ever after. Sooner or later this life just sucks you back in."

"Don't you think that if there is a chance – _a chance_ – of real happiness, Dean is the one person who deserves it the most?"

"This will never work Sam. Dean will come back to hunting, because that's who he is. And when he finds out about you – "

"Well, atleast he'll have had his break. Dean really can't go through much more of this shit. And what's more, he doesn't deserve to. After everything he's been through, everything I've put him through, he's earned a little peace and quiet. We should give him that much Bobby."

"This isn't our decision to make Sam."

"But it's the right one. You know that."

Yeah, he knew that. Dean wasn't happy now, but he was getting there. Slowly and painfully but still getting there. And if it helped him become something other than the screwed-up, broken man he was, Bobby wasn't going to stand in the way. Maybe Dean could be something else than the man who had beat his car with a crowbar in his yard. Or the man who had tearfully admitted his life meant nothing more than a bargain for Sam. Or the man who had quietly taken Bobby's verbal abuse about the importance of family after being nearly beaten to death by his brother and never said a word in his defense. Or the man who had been imprisoned in his panic room because he was so broken, he couldn't resist the tides of fate any more. This life, this war had broken Dean, probably beyond repair and it would be cruel to not even give him a chance to put it back together.

"This is gonna come back to bite us in the ass, you know. Dean is never gonna see it as doing him a favor. All he'll see is rejection, leaving him behind again."

"He's never gonna forgive us for that."

"Yes, he will, Bobby." Sam replied sadly."He always forgives. Because that's who he is."

Its ironical, Bobby thinks, that the man they hope Dean would become, the sane, healthy, happy version of himself, would never forgive such a transgression of his trust.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.

**Summary**: Sam and Bobby reflect on their actions.

**A/N**: Kind of a tag to 6x04.

* * *

"Dean out cold?" Bobby asked the Sam as he entered the study after depositing his brother in the bedroom upstairs.

"Yeah, half a bottle of jack and three shots of tequila will do that to you. Add to that he didn't eat anything because he was worried about throwing up, he's gonna have a bitch of a hangover tomorrow." The flight had been a nightmare. Almost as much for Sam as for Dean.

"I really appreciate your help with this, Sam." Bobby didn't do big emotional scenes, So Sam knew that this was only verbal display of gratitude they were going to see. Too bad Dean was too wasted to witness it.

"You know, Bobby, we could have helped you a lot sooner if you'd told us that Crowley had backed out of his deal. Why'd you hide it from us?"

"For the same reason you kept coming back from hell a secret from Dean." Bobby answered. "Didn't wanna put more on you."

"So you thought that keeping it a secret was the smart thing to do?"

"Boy, you are the last person who should be lecturing me about keeping secrets." Bobby replied. "You know as well as I do that we keep secrets to protect each-other from all this crap. As much as we can. Even if it doesn't work out most if the time."

"Dean doesn't do that, you know." Sam said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Yeah, he knew. Dean was an open and honest man, who'd trust them with everything in his life. It was a rare thing to see in a hunter, someone who'd trust anyone else to that extent. Even if they were family. All of the hunters he knew- and there were a lot- were stoic, closed off sons-of-bitches, who'd rather carry their burdens to the grave with bottle of whiskey and a shotgun at their side rather than let someone help out. He was one of them too and Sam seemed to be going on that road just fine. But Dean, when the burdens got too heavy, he trusted them to help him with them, because he knew that that was what family was for. It didn't matter that usually Dean's burdens turned out to be too heavy for them help with and they disappointed him. He trusted them again and again, even after being let down, again and again. And the problem was, he expected nothing less from them. Something that no hunter was ever gonna be good at, asking for help. And sonovabitch came through, always. Seek help from Dean Winchester and you won't return empty-handed.

"I think we – I screwed up, Bobby." Sam said after some time."About not telling Dean right after I got back."

Bobby gave Sam a searching stare but said nothing. Did they screw up? He was asking himself the same question ever since Dean took Lisa and Ben back after the djinn incident. Dean didn't seem much different. He was back hunting, but that was expected sooner or later. He seemed more open about his feelings. No that's not right, he was open about his worries for Sam and he'd always been that. He did seem to have something other than the hunt and his brother to live for. He and Lisa were still going strong even after the separation. But if something happened to either Lisa or Ben while he was not there, Dean would never forgive himself. All in all, Dean didn't get miraculously better or happier over the year. And they lost his trust in the bargain.

"No Sam, I think we did the right thing." Bobby lies. "Dean deserved a chance at a happy life." Bobby thinks back over the year, remembering the sporadic phone-calls and secret check-ups. How Dean laughed while playing catch with Ben in the yard. How he smiled while grocery shopping with Lisa. How excited he sounded about Lisa's new job or Ben's baseball team over the phone. All that couldn't be a front, could it? "He looked happy, Sam." Bobby rationalizes. "He sounded happy."

"That's Dean, Bobby." Sam sighed."He just gives you what you want from him. You wanted him happy. I wanted him to live a safe life. How do you know Dean wasn't just doing what he has done all his life, being what others want him to be?"

Dean did do that, Bobby acknowledged. The boy spent so much time being what others wanted him to be that he'd probably lost sight of what he wanted to be a long time ago. Bobby wanted a son. John wanted a soldier. Sam wanted his big-brother, his protector. Castiel wanted a messiah. Ellen wanted a friend. Jo wanted a role-model. Lisa wanted a father-figure for her son. Ben wanted a hero. And Dean had played all these parts perfectly, given everyone what they needed. So much so, that now his whole personality had now become a sum of all their wants and needs. But what did Dean want? His old family? They'd done nothing but hurt him and break him. His new family? He'd left them behind to come back for the hunt. The hunt itself? Who'd be crazy enough to want to actually do this, given a choice? No, Bobby decided, Dean probably himself doesn't know what he wants. He is doing what he's most comfortable doing, what he has done all his life, with a chance of something more.

"So, Bobby, what do say? Did we do the right thing? Would you do it all over again?" Sam looked worried.

Bobby realized that Sam was looking for reassurance, but it wasn't in him to provide comforting words. _Atleast I never did it to Dean_, Bobby thought wryly. He remembered the look on Dean's face when he'd discovered they'd been lying to him for a year. Remembered the pain and desperation in his voice as he accused Bobby of being selfish. Remembered the hurt and guilt in his voice after Bobby tore them (especially Dean) to pieces, just to vent his frustrations. It was beginning already. Whatever Sam was doing or being, it was already hurting Dean and Bobby had nothing he could do to make it any better. They were walking down the familiar road once again and they both knew how it ended but couldn't do anything to stop it. So when Sam asked him if they did the right thing by keeping Dean in the dark, by keeping him with a family who loves him enough that they wouldn't hurt him like his real family did, by keeping him away from Sam and Bobby and hunting and everything screwed-up in his life, Bobby knows that he isn't lying when he answers.

"Yeah Sam. I'd do it all over again. It was the right call."

* * *

FYI, I'm not of the opinion that it was the right decision at all. Whatever justifications they may give themselves, it was not their decision to make and knowing Dean, they had to know this would hurt him, which makes their decision even worse. They were doing what Sam hated his father for, taking someone's choice away from them. I was so mad at Sam and Bobby after the season premiere that I had to get myself to look at things from their perspective. didn't help much but I like them better now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I used to own supernatural, the boys, the Impala and everything else on the show. But then, the men in white gave me my meds and I had to take them.

**Summary**: Bobby decides to have a heart-to-heart with Dean this time.

**A/N**: I loved 'Family Matters'. Loved it. There was a lot of action and plot development. I hated one thing though. Once again Dean was shown to be useless when it came to the actual hunt. Ever since season six started, it seems like everyone is a better hunter than Dean. I'm sure I've said this somewhere before, but let's recap: In episode one Dean was no good against the Djinns. He needed Sam to save him both times. In the second one, he could do nothing against either of the shapeshifters. He didn't even try to put up a fight against the Alpha. In the third, he had pretty much nothing to do except draw a blood symbol and light a holy fire. It was the same for the fourth where all he did was digging up some bones (though to be fair, he did do well against the Lamia). The fifth one had him easily cornered and turned by a vampire. And he almost blew the chance to capture it if not for the psychic intervention by the alpha. In the sixth, Sam was the one smart enough to free himself and help Dean out and in the end Sam stabbed the Goddess. And that after it was established in canon that both boys keep knives up their sleeves for situations like this. Remember 'Shadows'? And now in the latest one, Dean was stuck in the reject zone and even there he had to have his ass saved by Gwen. I don't know if this is a bid to show Sam as the better hunter or to show how impressive and scary the Campbells could be, but the thing that we feared for five seasons seems to have finally happened. As far as the hunt goes, Dean has officially been relegated to being a sidekick.

* * *

"Get some sleep, Sam." Bobby told the younger Winchester who was buried in an ancient tome from his library.

"I can't sleep." Sam replied, looking up from the book. "And we need to figure out a way to corner Crowley."

"Yeah, well, give it a shot anyway." Bobby said testily. "Me and Dean could figure it out."

"Dean?" Sam raised his eyebrows. "C'mon Bobby. Dean can't do research to save his life. If it weren't for you and me, he'd never even figure out what we were hunting at any time."

"He figured out what was wrong with you, didn't he?" Bobby replied. "Before any of us even suspected that there was anything wrong."

Sam looked away at that. If Bobby didn't know better, he'd say that Sam was feeling guilty for talking about Dean like that. But he did. Sam was soulless and for the life of him Bobby couldn't believe that he had missed something like that.

"Where is your brother anyway?" Bobby asked, noting the prolonged absence of the older Winchester.

"Outside on the porch, drinking himself into oblivion." Sam replied. "Like that ever fixed anything. Maybe you should go check on him. Make sure he isn't passed out on the ground."

Bobby almost got up to do as Sam asked. He should make sure that Dean was okay. If ever there was a time when Dean needed him most by his side, it was now. He had half a mind to ask Sam to go check himself, but that wouldn't be a good idea. Sam was the last person Dean wanted by his side. Especially this Sam.

"Oh, c'mon. What am I gonna do?" Sam asked, seeing Bobby's hesitation. "I'm not going to start some sort of dark ritual while you are gone."

Dean had been right. Being around Sam with him like this made his skin crawl. So Bobby decided to go and check on the Winchester who still had his soul.

* * *

"Bobby." Dean shouted with mock cheerfulness that didn't quite mask the pain beneath it. "Come to join me for a drink, my friend?"

"You are wasted, boy." Bobby observed. "C'mon. Let's go to bed before you fall off the hood and break something."

"Buzzkill." Dean said. "Why do I have to sleep? Sam doesn't. If super-Sam can do without sleep, so can I."

"Dean-"

"C'mon. Have a seat." Dean patted the hood of the impala next to him. "I know you could do with a break from all the creep inside."

Bobby sighed. He didn't like hearing Dean talk about his brother like that. Though, to be fair, it wasn't actually Sam inside. Not completely atleast. Reluctantly, Bobby sat down beside Dean and took a swig from the bottle.

"How much of this have you had anyway?" Bobby asked pointing to the bottle.

"Finished one about half an hour ago." Dean replied. "Halfway through this one, so I'd say, not nearly enough."

"Dammit Dean." Bobby was exasperated. "I thought we were past all this. Do we need to have an intervention for you now?"

"Why would I give this up, huh?" Dean asked. "This is the only thing I've left going for me."

"You don't mean that Dean." Bobby said. "That's the whiskey talking."

"Is it?" Dean no longer made any attempt to hide his despair. "There you go again. Making decisions for me."

That barb hurt as it was obviously meant to.

"Face it Bobby. I got nothing left. No love, no respect, no family – nothing." Dean continued morosely. "My brother isn't my brother. He's a soulless bastard, literally. He thinks I'm a crap hunter who's only best for being bait. He thinks I'm some kind of idiot who'd put the hunt and everyone's lives in jeopardy by my stupidity, so it's best to keep me in dark, about everything. The only reason he is still with me is because he knows that I'm the only one he can trust to watch his back and not shoot him in it when he screws up the next time. I swear, if he ever thought he could trust those Campbells like that, he'd ditch me in a heartbeat."

"Your brother's not himself right now. You know that." Bobby defended.

"That's not it and you know that." Dean said. "Sam has always chosen others over me. Whether it's some demon he met by the side of the road or some demon he screwed."

"Dammit Dean-" Bobby started.

"What? What now?" Dean shouted back. "You gonna give me some big speech about the importance of family? About how you should run back to them with your tail between your legs even after they've screwed you over and over again? Because I've heard it before Bobby and I'm really not in the mood for it."

"No, I'm not." Bobby said. "Because I know that no matter what Sam does, you are never gonna give up on him. That's just not in you."

"Yeah, I know, my biggest weakness. Look what that has left me with. Nothing." Dean continued in his earlier vein. "I almost had a family that loved me. But I lost that because Sam decided that I'd make a good vampire. Castiel is barely around anymore, he is so busy with the war in heaven and all. Everyone else is just dead and gone. Except for the Campbells – my 'family'. Sam- he's their prince. He's the perfect hunter. One of them. Me- I'm just a tag-along they bear with for Sam's sake. The amateur, useless guy they put up with because they want Sam to be on their team. I'm- I'm cousin Oliver." Dean said with a laugh. "Look, I'm not complaining. I don't want their love or trust or anything like that. They are working for demons, for God's sake and I wouldn't trust them myself. But after all I've done, all I've been through, it'd be nice to be treated like a half-decent hunter, you know. Not like just some reject. Face it Bobby, I got no one who can give me that."

"I'm still here for you, son" Bobby said. "You still got me."

"Do I? Do I really?" Dean turned towards Bobby. "You have lied to me before. Kept me in the dark because you just decided that was best for me. You don't even respect me enough to let me make my own choices. And as a result of that I don't have my family anymore. And I'm not as good a hunter as I used to be. You know that. You said it yourself. Whatever, just screw it." Dean emptied the remaining bottle in one go. "I don't know what came over me. I'm acting like a girl. I must really be losing my touch."

Bobby just looked blankly at Dean, but said nothing. Because really, what could he say?

"I'll just go to bed like you asked." Dean said getting up. "Before you ream my ass for being a bitch."

Bobby looked at Dean's retreating back as he walked away. This boy, this man was someone who meant the world to him. He was the part of the only family Bobby had left and he had no words of comfort for him. Bobby had once told him that it was the nature of family to make each-other miserable. He'd just never thought that he'd be making Dean miserable.

But he had. He and Sam had made decisions that had hurt Dean, all under the delusion of doing what was best for him. And that was a poor excuse. If ever there was a time to make up for it, to open up and let Dean see his weakness, it was now.

"Dean, wait." Dean stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Dean asked, turning around. "What for?"

"For everything, son." Bobby met his eyes. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel that you don't do enough for this family, because you always do more than enough. And I'm sorry for not telling you about Sam's return. If I had to do it again, I'd do it differently. Maybe then, we'd have caught this mess long ago."

"You don't have to do this." Dean said dejectedly. "I know you did what you thought was best."

"And I was wrong. That don't make it alright." Bobby said. "You were right Dean. You were right about everything. You were right about Sam being different when none of us saw anything wrong. You were right about the Campbells being shady. They were working for demons all along. If Sam and I had a lick of sense, we'd have sent for you from the get-go, because you always make the right call. You can always tell when something's off."

"Bobby- "

"I ain't finished, boy." Bobby breathed in deep. "You are one of the best hunters out there, Dean. Probably the best. You are better than Sam, better than me. You are better than your daddy or your grandpa could ever hope to be."

"That's not what you said a few days ago." Dean said. "And you weren't lying. You couldn't have been."

"Well, I thought that was true a few days ago. But things change." Bobby replied. "Turns out, you being right about everything could actually change my opinion. Sure, we all are better hunters on paper. I mean, you don't like to research and you like your booze and women. And we all know our creepy-crawlies better than you. But that don't matter a damn when you are out on the field, when all you have got to go on is your gut. You have very good instincts Dean. You can always come up with things at the drop of a hat and everything else doesn't matter that much. All the book-smarts in the world weren't able save your grand-father's life or your daddy's. And it sure as hell didn't make Sam smart enough to stay away from that demon-bitch. And from what you've told me, you knew your Daddy was possessed in five minutes. You knew that Samuel was possessed when you didn't even know he guy. And those yahoos and Sam had a demon working by their side for an entire year and never suspected a thing. He wouldn't have been able to pull something like that with you around. Dean, you are the best hunter I know and don't let anyone tell you any different."

"Thanks for the compliment." Dean said, rubbing his neck. "But you'll have a hard time convincing anyone else of all that. I've been getting into messes ever since I got back. I've been practically useless."

"I don't have to convince anyone, son. They'll all learn it for themselves. Like I did." Bobby replied confidently. "And Dean, you are not at the top of your game right now because your head's not in the game. You have been distracted ever since you came back. You have been worried about your family. You have been worried about Sam. About your new family. You have had to watch your back from both sides. It's a wonder you didn't get killed. Trust me Dean, when Sam gets his soul back, he'd be falling over himself to make it up to you. Because, even though it doesn't seem like it right now, your brother loves you. More than anything else in the world. Maybe then, you could have it all back again."

"You really think so, Bobby?"

"Dean, why do you think Crowley went to the trouble of bringing Samuel back? Or bring Sam back without a soul for that matter? He knows that you are the one person who could derail his plans. That's why he tried so hard to keep you out of it. And now that you are in it, he's holding Sam hostage. We're gonna fix this boy, and trust me, you are gonna be happy again."

Dean gave a small smile and went inside. Bobby knew that this little speech wouldn't be enough, wouldn't magically fix Dean. But he hoped that it would give the boy atleast some of the self-esteem he was lacking so severely. Then maybe, just maybe, he would have done his little part in fixing the older Winchester. The rest was up to the soulless man inside.

* * *

A/N: There it is. Before anyone starts flaming me about evil Sam, remember, this is who Sam is now. I realize Dean on the show would never say all these things, so I had to make him good and drunk for it. That was the only way to catch Dean with his guard down. Tell me what you think.

Btw, I haven't finished my other story 'Without You'. I know I said I would by the end of the week, but stuff came up. Rest assured that the next chapter would be up as soon as possible.


End file.
